School profile

High Cliff Academy

Primary · Academy sponsor led · Newhaven, BN9 9FD

Good

Map showing High Cliff Academy

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#3,146 of 15,057

Better than 79% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

High Cliff Academy Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 9 Jun 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Expected standard
Leadership and governance
Expected standard
Early years
Expected standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeAcademy sponsor led
Ages4 to 11
Pupils154
GenderMixed
Head teacherMs Megan West
TrustSTEP ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityEast Sussex
Opened01 Sept 2015
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 140385.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolEast SussexEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths76%, better than England, better than East Sussex61%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.0%, worse than England, worse than East Sussex6%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, worse than England, similar to East Sussex105106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, better than England, better than East Sussex104105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.104, similar to England, similar to East Sussex103105
Expected standard in reading79%, similar to England, better than East Sussex74%76%
Expected standard in writing76%, similar to England, better than East Sussex72%73%
Expected standard in maths83%, better than England, better than East Sussex71%75%
Pupils taking tests29--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils154
Girls70
Boys84
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.37%
First language not English10.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.26.7%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.29
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.5
Average class size22

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
74.7%
African
5.8%
White and Asian
3.9%
Gypsy/Roma
3.2%
White and Black Caribbean
3.2%
Other White
2.6%
Indian
2.6%
Other mixed
1.3%
Other Asian
1.3%
Irish
0.6%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher16.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.8.9
Teachers (FTE)9.36
Teaching assistants (FTE)7.97
Support staff (FTE)13.68
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/259
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/258
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.22
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.43
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.11
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.11
Applications from another local authority (Reception)0

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolEast SussexEngland
Overall absence6.9%, worse than England, worse than East Sussex5.7%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.16.4%, worse than England, similar to East Sussex15%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.3.4%, worse than England, worse than East Sussex1.4%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0.6%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near High Cliff Academy
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.0 miSecondarySeahaven AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miPrimaryHarbour Primary and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.5 miPrimaryBreakwater AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.4 miPrimaryDenton Community Primary School and NurseryCommunity school
Good
1.8 miSecondaryPeacehaven Community SchoolAcademy converter
Good

Frequently asked questions about High Cliff Academy

What is High Cliff Academy's Ofsted rating?

High Cliff Academy is rated Good, last inspected on 9 Jun 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does High Cliff Academy rank in England?

High Cliff Academy ranks 3,146 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 79% of schools).

What are High Cliff Academy's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 76% of pupils at High Cliff Academy met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into High Cliff Academy?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, High Cliff Academy made 22 offers from 43 applications (2 per offer), and 11 of 11 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend High Cliff Academy?

High Cliff Academy has 154 pupils aged 4 to 11.

What is the capacity of High Cliff Academy?

High Cliff Academy had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at High Cliff Academy?

At High Cliff Academy, the average class had 22 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 16.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at High Cliff Academy?

In 2025/26, pupils at High Cliff Academy missed 6.9% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 16.4% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.